Our Approach to Quality Assurance
GBSB Global Business School is committed to upholding and continuously enhancing quality standards across all areas of the institution’s operations by fostering a culture of quality awareness among its stakeholders.
The key principles of GBSB Global’s approach to quality management include:
- Strategically-Oriented – integrated within the institution’s strategic management system.
- Customer-Focused – aimed at meeting and exceeding the expectations of stakeholders, particularly students.
- Self-Informed – based on awareness, clarity, and transparency of requirements communicated to and by all stakeholders.
- People-Driven – involves engagement at all levels throughout the organisation.
- Evidence-Based – informed by the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and information for decision-making.
- Improvement-Aimed – centred on a holistic and ongoing commitment to continuous improvement.
Internal Quality Assurance Manual
The Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) Manual is the principal institutional and publicly accessible document detailing the structure of GBSB Global Business School’s quality management system, including its policies, procedures, supporting documents, data collection and reporting tools, as well as mechanisms for continuous improvement.
The framework of the Manual is based on the standards of accreditation set by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) and serves as a foundational document that demonstrates GBSB Global’s commitment to quality across all areas of operation. This includes, but is not limited to, governance, administration, resource management, teaching and learning, research, support services, institutional cooperation, internationalisation, and service to society. The Manual reflects the institution’s dedication to maintaining high standards of academic integrity, accountability, and continuous quality improvement.
Policies, Procedures, and Other Documents
The IQA Manual references the policies, procedures, and supporting documents that govern GBSB Global’s processes and establish the relevant requirements. All institutional policies, procedures, and other documents are subject to regular reviews to ensure their continued effectiveness, in accordance with the Control of Documents Policy. Below is a list of institutional policies, procedures, and selected guidelines, with some available for download.
| Document name | Document type |
|---|---|
| Policy | Academic Honesty Policy |
| Policy | Admission of Graduate Students Policy |
| Policy | Admission of PhD Students Policy |
| Policy | Admission of Transfer Students Policy |
| Policy | Admission of Undergraduate Students Policy |
| Policy | Assessment Policy |
| Policy | Attendance Policy |
| Policy | Control of Documents Policy |
| Policy | Data Protection Policy |
| Policy | Distance Learning Policy |
| Policy | Equal Opportunities Policy |
| Policy | Institutional Data Reporting and Analysis Policy |
| Policy | IT Policy |
| Policy | Monitoring and Review of Programmes Policy |
| Policy | New Programme Policy |
| Policy | Programme Termination Policy |
| Policy | Quality Management Policy |
| Policy | Recognition of Prior Learning Policy |
| Policy | Research Ethics Policy |
| Policy | Review and Revision of Learning Resources Policy |
| Policy | Staff Performance Evaluation Policy |
| Policy | Staff Professional Development Policy |
| Policy | Staff Recruitment Policy |
| Policy | Teaching Load Policy |
| Procedure | Complaint Procedure |
| Procedure | Grade Appeal Procedure |
| Procedure | Internship Agreement Procedure |
| Procedure | Make-Up Assessment Procedure |
| Procedure | Recognition of Prior Learning Procedure |
| Guidelines | Code of Ethics |
| Guidelines | Employee Guidelines |
| Guidelines | Faculty Guidelines |
| Guidelines | Student Guidelines and Academic Policies |
Quality Measures
Managing quality involves measuring performance across various areas of the institution’s operations. GBSB Global employs institutional dashboards to monitor progress and achievements, facilitating continuous improvement. These dashboards provide a comprehensive view of institutional performance (“institutional health”) and enable the organisation to report results to stakeholders.
Selected quality measures focused on student achievement and stakeholder satisfaction are presented below.
Student Achievement
Legend:
BA – Bachelor of Business Administration and Digital Innovation
BBA – Bachelor of Business Administration
MA – Master of Arts
MBA – Master of Business Administration
MSC – Master of Science in Management
Retention Rate
| PROGRAM GROUP | Academic Year 2020 – 2021 | Academic Year 2021 – 2022 | Academic Year 2022 – 2023 | Academic Year 2023 – 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | 100% | 99,2% | 99,4% | 93,5% |
| MA | 98,8% | 100% | 99,1% | 97,5% |
| MASTER | 100% | 99,2% | 98,8% | 100% |
| MBA | 90,5% | 100% | 100% | 100%* |
| MSc | 100% | 99,2% | 98,8% | 97,0% |
*Year of phasing out the old MBA programme; new curriculum to launch in 2024–25.MSc – Master of Science in Management programme (launched in 2022-23)
Graduation Rate (Overall)
| PROGRAM GROUP | ACADEMIC YEAR 2020 – 2021 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2021 – 2022 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 – 2023 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2023 – 2024* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | 71,4% | n/a*** | n/a*** | 79,7% |
| MA | 97,6% | 95,7% | 93,9% | 80% |
| Master | 94,7% | 99,2% | 98,1% | 100% |
| MBA | 90,5% | 85,7% | 100% | 100% |
| MSc | 94,7% | 96,7% | 96,1% | 60,0% |
* Applies to the Fall 2023 intake for MA, Master, MBA, and MSc programmes, and the Fall 2021 intake for the BA programme. The Overall Graduation rate is the same as the On-Time Graduation rate since it considers only the graduates of July 2024. Some students may complete their programmes later, so the Overall Graduation Rate will increase.
Graduation Rate (On-Time)
| PROGRAM GROUP | ACADEMIC YEAR 2020 – 2021 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2021 – 2022 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 – 2023 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2023 – 2024* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA*/BBA | 71,4% | n/a** | n/a** | 79,7% |
| MA | 91,5% | 94,8% | 93,9% | 80,0% |
| Master | 80,7% | 93,4% | 96,2% | 100% |
| MBA | 66,7% | 81,0% | 100% | 100% |
| MSc | 77,2% | 92,6% | 96,1% | 60,0% |
* Applies to the Fall 2023 intake for MA, Master, MBA, and MSc programmes, and the Fall 2021 intake for the BA programme. The Overall Graduation rate is the same as the On-Time Graduation rate since it considers only the graduates of July 2024. Some students may complete their programmes later, so the Overall Graduation Rate will increase.
Pass Rate
| PROGRAM GROUP | ACADEMIC YEAR 2020 – 2021 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2021 – 2022 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 – 2023 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2023 – 2024* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA*/BBA | 69,5% | 82,8% | 87,1% | 70,8% |
| MA | 91,4% | 95,0% | 94,4% | 90,0% |
| Master | 84,6% | 90,9% | 93,9% | 80,5% |
| MBA | 81,0% | 93,5% | 95,4% | 91,0% |
| MSc | 84,6% | 90,0% | 93,9% | 87,7% |
Achievement of Program Learning Outcomes
| PROGRAM GROUP | ACADEMIC YEAR 2020 – 2021 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2021 – 2022 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 – 2023 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2023 – 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BA | n/a* | 73,9% | 79,8% | 73,1% |
| MA (Business Innovation) | 87,0% | 86,4% | 93,0% | 88,6% |
| MA (Communication and Future Marketing) | 86,4% | 88,9% | 92,0% | 92,6% |
| MA (Fashion and Luxury Business Management) | 83,2% | 90,4% | 97,3% | 92,7% |
| MA (Master of Arts in Tourism and Hospitality Management) | 95,3% | 90,9% | 93,5% | 91,6% |
| MBA | 84,9% | 92,9% | 92,8% | 100% |
| MSc (Entrepreneurship) | 90,0% | 89,7% | 94,4% | 87,5% |
| MSc (Digital Business) | 90,7% | 90,7% | 92,8% | 100% |
| MSc (Digital Marketing and E-Commerce) | 82,6% | 86,6% | 89,4% | 100% |
| MSc (Finance) | 89,2% | 92,3% | 93,8% | 40,0% |
| MSc (Financial Management, Digital Banking and Internet Finance) | 84,3% | 89,3% | 91,5% | 75,0% |
| MSc (International Business Management) | 88,4% | 91,7% | 91,2% | 75,0% |
| MSc (Operations and Supply Chain Management) | 85,9% | 90,7% | 90,8% | 100% |
| MSc (Marketing Management) | 86,0% | 90,6% | 92,9% | 83,0% |
| MSc | n/a | n/a | tbc | tbc |
STAKEHOLDER SATISFACTION*
* Satisfaction level is calculated based on the distribution of responses on a five-point scale (‘Very Satisfied’, ‘Satisfied’, ‘Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied’, ‘Dissatisfied’, ‘Very Dissatisfied’).
Satisfaction [%] = (‘Very Satisfied’ + ‘Satisfied’ / (Total number of responses)*100.
Student Module (Course) Satisfaction
| ACADEMIC YEAR 2020 – 2021 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2021 – 2022 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 – 2023 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2023 – 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77,9% | 78,4% | 77,3% | 77,5% |
Faculty Satisfaction
| ACADEMIC YEAR 2020 – 2021 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2021 – 2022 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2022 – 2023 | ACADEMIC YEAR 2023 – 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73,9% | 79,6% | 74,6% | 76,5% |